In component mounters, for example, as disclosed in patent literature 1 (JP-A-2006-313838) and patent literature 2 (JP-A-2009-88035), when picking up a component with a suction nozzle, or when mounting the component on a board, to prevent damage to the component due to impact, a nozzle section is provided to be vertically movable in a nozzle holder, and the nozzle section is biased downwards by a spring; after the lower end of the nozzle section contacts the component during component pickup operation, and after the component held by the nozzle section contacts the board during component mounting operation, the nozzle section is pushed against the elastic force of the spring in accordance with the lowering operation of the mounting head that holds the nozzle holder until the lowering operation stops, thereby lessening the impact on the component.
Also, as disclosed in patent literature 3 (JP-A-2008-124293) and patent literature 4 (JP-A-2009-88035), there are items in which a side view image of a held component is captured by a camera and image processed, and determinations are made such as whether the pickup orientation of the component is acceptable, whether the component is present or absent, or whether the nozzle section is in acceptable condition.
Specifically, with the determination method of patent literature 3, a side view image of a reference jig held on the nozzle holder instead of the nozzle section is captured and image processed as a “reference image”, and a height position of the reference jig is obtained as a reference height position, then, the reference jig is removed from the nozzle holder, the nozzle section is attached to the nozzle holder, a side view image of a component held on the lower end of the nozzle section is captured and image processed, a height position of the lower end (lowest point) of the component is obtained, a height difference (difference) between the reference height position and the lower end of the component is calculated, and, based on the height error, a determination is made regarding the pickup orientation of the component, the condition of the nozzle section, and the like.
On the other hand, with the determination method of patent literature 4, a side view image is captured of an individual nozzle section that is in good condition, without defects or the like, as a “reference image”, a side view image is captured of a nozzle section holding a component, a difference image is obtained between the side view image of the nozzle section and the reference image, and a determination is made regarding the pickup orientation of the component, the condition of the nozzle section, and the like.